The flutes are the oldest musical instruments found to date.

The cavern area  is already well known as a site for signs of early human efforts; in May, members of the same team unveiled a Hohle Fels find that could be the world’s oldest Venus figure(The archaeologists believe that she mad from mammoth ivory as well – Read about the old  carved ivory figurine)  .

The most well-preserved of the flutes is made from a vulture’s wing bone, measuring 20cm long with five finger holes and two “V”-shaped notches on one end of the instrument into which the researchers assume the player blew.

The archaeologists also found fragments of two other flutes carved from ivory that they believe was taken from the tusks of mammoths.

The find brings the total number of flutes discovered from this era to eight, four made from mammoth ivory and four made from bird bones.